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Murder of Samantha Runnion

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Samantha Runnion
Born
Samantha Bree Runnion

(1996-07-26)July 26, 1996
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 2002(2002-07-15) (aged 5)
Cleveland National Forest, Riverside County, California, U.S.[citation needed]
Cause of deathHomicide by strangulation
Known forMurder victim
Parent(s)Derek Jackson (father)
Erin Runnion (mother)

Samantha Bree (Jackson) Runnion (July 26, 1996 – July 15, 2002) was a five-year-old girl abducted from outside her home in Stanton, California, and murdered.[1]

Kidnapping and murder

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On July 15, 2002, Runnion was playing with a friend in her front yard[2] when a man approached them asking for help in finding a lost dog. After a short conversation, he grabbed Samantha, forced her into his car, and drove away. A day later, her nude body was found 50 miles south in Cleveland National Forest.[1][3][4] Runnion had been sexually assaulted anally and vaginally and strangled. Police said that the killer was "extremely sloppy" and had left behind "mountains of physical evidence connecting him to the crime".

Alejandro Avila of Lake Elsinore, California, was arrested three days after the abduction. His DNA was found on Samantha's body, and her DNA was found in his car. Avila had previously visited his girlfriend in the condominium complex where Samantha lived and had been acquitted of molesting his girlfriend's daughter and niece. Police found child pornography on Avila's laptop computer, and he had booked a motel room on the day of the murder, where it was believed that Samantha was killed. Avila's public defender argued during the trial that he couldn't have kidnapped the girl, abused, murdered, and then dumped her body 50 miles away in one day as the prosecution believed.

On May 16, 2005, a jury returned a guilty verdict, and Avila was sentenced to death. He is incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison on death row. Samantha's mother, Erin Runnion, launched a foundation called "The Joyful Child Foundation," whose mission is "Preventing crimes against children through programs that educate, empower, and unite families and communities."[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "TruTV photo gallery of the case". truTV. Archived from the original on 2011-09-03. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
  2. ^ NewsActive3 (3 October 2015). "KTLA 10pm News, July 15, 2002". Archived from the original on 2021-12-11 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Montaldo, Charles. “911 Call Transcript - Finding Samantha Runnion's Body," Archived 2013-03-31 at the Wayback Machine About.com Guide. Retrieved on April 1, 2013.
  4. ^ Bragg, Rick. “Man Arrested in California Case Of Child's Abduction and Killing," Archived 2018-07-31 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, July 20, 2002. Retrieved on April 1, 2013.
  5. ^ Division of Adult Operations (31 December 2008). "Death Row Tracking System Condemned Inmate List (Secure)" (PDF). 13 August 2009. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from the original (.PDF) on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-28. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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